Improvement in centrifugal machines



UNITED l STATES PATENT Critics,

GEORGE B. Hnnrson A Nn E. J. WOOLSEY, Or' ivEWlYOnK, NfY.

*iM-PROVEMENT 'iNCEN'i-RIFUGAL MACHINES.

. Specification forming part of LettersPatent 52,569, dated February 13, 1866. n

To all whom t't may concern: l

Be it known that we, G. B. HARTsON and E. J. WOOLSEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating 'the Liquid Parts from Sugar or other Substances 5` and we` do hereby decla-re that the following isa full, clear, and exact de scription of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of "this specilication, in which Figure l is a plan of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the revolving cylinder or separator, the .external fan which receives the liquid parts 'after they are separated being omitted. Fig. 3 is avertical section of the apparatus taken through thecenter.

The saine letters indicate likeparts in all the figures. 4

In the apparatus for depui-ating sugar or' separating liquid from solid substances by cen-,- trifugal action great velocity is required, and if, 'as is frequently the case, the material t0 be depurated or deprived of liquid matterbe not in weight equally distributed around the center of-motion. and at equal distances from the axis, (which is often inipra'cticable,) a treninlous motion is inducedwhich increases with the increased velocity and exerts an injuriousaction, which in la'I short time destroys the. mechanism, however strong the structure may ``lleretofore the vessel or separator contain; ing the material to be acted upon has been mounted on a. shaft with journals at each end,

and connected with the said shaft by means of arms, the pulley for receiving the driving-belt being mounted on the shaft, and necessarily` at some distance from both journals. As the belt must of necessity be tight, this tension draws and slightly bends thev shaft, which ofA itself carries the weight in rotation out ofequilibriuln and produces theinjurious'tremulous nio:4 tion above referred to. Y

The first part of our invention relates to a mode of constructing and mounting the sepa..-

, rator with the View to retain the rotating post of the apparatus in a true central position, vand at the same time to prevent the centrifulgal force acting on the unequally distributed weight from producing the injurious tremulous motion above referred to; and tothis end, this part of 'our invention consists inv construcb ing the separator which isto contain the lsaccharine matter to be depnrated orother matter to b e acted upon on alstrong horizontal plate, having a hollow centered hub fitted to;

rest and turn on a strong stud attached to or making part of a base-plate, the said hub bef' ingprovided with a pulley near toan-d below v the bottom plate of the separator to. receive the drivingbelt. In this way alltendency to vibration4 is avoided, for any tendency to bend the .stud .on which the hollow hub turns will not shift the apparatus o-r any portion of it relative] y' to the axis of rotation.

Prior to the invention of this improvement it was common to make these machines with a centra-1 shaft rising from the base of the machine to a journal-box ixed in stout beams or frame-work in'or upon the ceiling of the apartment in which it was placed, and the driving belt was arranged on a pulley above the machine. This central shaft prevented conven'- ,ient access to Atheinterior of the machine, and

involved much expense in the construction -ot' the upper journals and the security of the -upper end of the shaft. The use ofthe shaft,

owing to its great weight, also required increased power to drive the machiue,^with increased expense or fuel; and also rendered the machine cumbersomefor transportation, and incapable of out-'door work unless a strong cross-frame and braceszwere erected over 'the machine in which to place the said upper journal. Such frame greatly added to the expense of the machine, increased its bnlk,'and prevented convenient approach thereto by workmen and attendants.

All of .the above objections and difliculties. 'are overcome in our improvement. .We dispense with the rising central shaft, upper journal, frames', and braces, With all their inconveniences.. and .we greatly reduce the cost -of constructing the machine, as well as the 'ex- 'pense of driving it.

, The second part of our invention relates'to themethod of introducing a current or currents of air into the separator to aid inthe effeet to be produced on the substance undertreatmen't. Heretoforethe upper vpart of the separator has been made either entirely open, except the arms connecting 'the rim with the shaft, or entirely closed. This part of our in- Aon the substance or substances underA treatl scribe its construction and operation.

l' or other sui-table tbrm,'havin`g a strong stud, 13, inserted inavertical position in its center, and iriuly secured by keying orothe'rwise.

vand the stud B fitted 'to it with" the greatest l'iearing is lubricated' by an oilcup, a, at the.

' a belt, is cast o ported by a series of pillars or upright bolts,I

c, which 1n 'il the plates together.

'F F of the cylinder constituting 'the sides or purpose of receiving the1n,being,put in4 place covered by hoods'or funnel 'mouths j' f, of con. vical form, opening in th'e direction in which the cylinder isintended .to revolve.

vention consists in' providing' the t'op plate or covcrot the separator' with apertures provided with funnel-shaped bonnets'or hoods, so that when in motion currents ot' air will be. forced iu .and 'through the Aapparatus to aid thc centrifugal force in producing the desired eti'ect nient. t To enable others shille'd in the art to niake and use our invention, we will proceed to de- A is the fouiulation'or bed-plate, of circular C is a disk or plate','of cast-iron, ot" circular or other forni, which forms the'bottom 'ot' the cylinder 'or sci iarator.' 'It has atleepsocket, 1), castupon it, projecting` a considerable distance above and below. IThis socket isbored accuracy, 4the backot'the hole in the socket resting ou the top of the stud', or the bottoml of the'sock-ct resting on the bedplate'A, The

top. A drum, H, for. receiving motion .from n the part of the socket below theplate. E is a ring or. annular platc,of cas'tdron, of the'same or nearly the' same external diameter as the plate 0. Itis intended to form the top ofthe cylin'dei'or separator, and is supb 1),'- those .ends pass through holes near its' outer edges'and those otf the' plate C, the said bolts or pillars being' provided'with shoulders to keep the plates at the proper distance apartsuitable -to the deptlhot' the cylinder. The ends ofthe 'boltswhich project through the plates' are' secured and provided with-.nutsc before the plates are secured togethe secured bytightening up the nuts. G is thecover of the cylinder orseparator, madeof sheet orcast iron or other metal, and is provided with apertures-cc, (see Fig. 3,)

r, and

That part upper side, having an opening in the center to allow'the sockets of the cylinder or sepa lrator to pass through it, anda rim, g, projecting upward, within which tsa sheet-iron cylinde'r,'f J, forming the sides'of the pan. Atube or spout, it, opens. outward from it. -The bottorn lis supported by feet, which may be bolted plate A'. e

io'n ot' the apparatus is similar to The operat tion is *eii'ectedby centrifugal force, rotary sides or periphery F F, and 'the liquid parts or moisture expressed and expelled through the gauze amlperforated metal. Strong-cur- -revolutions ot' the cylinder to l-rush into' it through the hoodsffand apertures e c, escap-- ing through the sides, assisting greatlyin sepua-lly. The liquids thus'expelled 'are caught on the sides'an'd bottom ot' the external pan or receiver I J, from which they run ott' through the pipe or spout k, and are caught by a vessel placed to receive them.

We do not claim to have in ot' separatiu g liquid parts from sugar or other substances 'by placing them Iin arevolving cylinder, against the sides of whichthey are vthrown by centrifugal force, as

already effected; but l Vihat we claim asour invention, and to secureby Letters v]?atent,lis

l. The 'method of constructing the centrifugal 'separator with a hollowhub in the centhe saidhub being provided with a 4pulley for the driving-'belt below thobottom plate,`and fitted to run on,.ar 1d combinedwith the stud of the baselplate, in the in'an'ner and forthe ,purpose-specitied.

' 2."The said centrifugal separator, in, coinholes or channels covered with funnel-shaped I is the bottoni of the external pan, which ELLEN M ORosBY.

is of cast-iron and slightly conical in form, or concavelon its under sido and convex on itsor otherwise secured to the foundation or bedthat ot' other apparatus in lwhich the separal 4motion being given to the cylinderGE F in. 1

thrown withconsiderableforce against the' i `rentsor drat'ts otiair will becaused by thev ,arating the liquids andv expelling thenreffect- Y rented the mode that' has 'been desire. A

ter of the lower' plate' thereof, as described,`

binatioii with the cap or cover provided with hoods, as described, -to force currents 'of air- V1n' and4 through ,the 'said apparatus to aid inl 

